Uxbridge man charged with setting his own home on fire

Thursday

Jul 4, 2013 at 6:00 AMJul 4, 2013 at 11:25 PM

By Kim Ring TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

A three-alarm fire destroyed a brick house at Route 122 and Albee Road Wednesday. Police later charged Christian Carven, 43, of 4 Albee Road, with arson of a dwelling. Mr. Carven lived at the home with his wife and two children; authorities said no one else was home at the time of the fire.

Police Chief Peter B. Emerick said the fire was reported at 4:45 p.m. Firefighters from about eight towns were still at the house after 6 p.m. battling the blaze, which had not been brought under control.

The tanker task force was activated to shuttle water to the fire because the home is outside the hydrant district.

A neighbor who declined to give her name said she saw someone taken away in handcuffs. The person had arrived at the home on a bicycle when he was taken into custody, she said.

Police interviewed witnesses and requested assistance from the state fire marshal's office and detectives assigned to the Worcester district attorney's office.

The neighbor said before the fire broke out, she heard sounds coming from the home.

“I was on my deck and there were a lot of noises. They were like pop, pop, pop,” she said.

She said residents in the area are fearful of the man who lives in the home because he is often confrontational.

The woman said there have been three suspicious fires in the neighborhood in the last four years, including one that damaged her deck.

The American Red Cross of Central Massachusetts planned to meet with family members next week to assess their needs. Red Cross volunteers provided canteen services and direct support for 60 to 70 firefighters at the scene.